Challenges and Perspectives of Peptide-Based Drug Development

Abstract

With the number of small molecule-based drug candidates in clinical trials and approved drugs for the market decreasing, scientists from the pharmaceutical industry and academia are giving more attention to peptides or other bioactive drugs. Peptide drugs, especially the short synthetic and long-acting ones, are quickly increasing in the global market while advances in such fields as chemical synthesis and peptide formulation having been made in recent decades. The discovery of insulin in 1922 marked the beginning of research and development to improve the means of delivering protein therapeutics to patients. From that period forward, investigators have contemplated every possible route of delivery. Major hurdles remain in order to overcome the combined natural barriers of drug permeability, drug stability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of protein therapeutics.

Keywords: bioactive drugs, drug development, peptide, pharmacokinetics, therapeutics